


no season is eternal

by cosmic_nebby



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, minor character death (not main characters)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-17
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2020-06-29 21:50:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19839187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cosmic_nebby/pseuds/cosmic_nebby
Summary: Marinette laughs one night as she is crying herself to sleep because, for some odd reason, she finds herself thinking about and missing Chat Noir an infinite amount more than she does Adrien, who for the past year and a half she swore was her true love.She realizes the saying is true: you don’t realize how much you love someone until they are gone.





	no season is eternal

1\. adversary

The purple sparkles dissipate around him, leaving nothing but the broken Moth Miraculous and an equally shattered Gabriel Agreste before them.

2\. peace

“We did it,” Ladybug says, smiling despite the lump lodged in her throat, “we saved Paris.”

Her partner stares into nothingness, green eyes clouded with distress. 

“But at what cost?” He murmurs in an uncharacteristically melancholic tone, “A boy lost his father today.”

3\. goodbye

“Thank you for always being our everyday Ladybug,” Adrien says to her before he turns around to join Félix in his limousine. In a month’s time, he will live with his cousin in London, far away from the memory of his parents.

4\. nerve

“Adrien isn’t here to back you up anymore. You have nobody to help you justify your word against mine.”

Lila leaves the restroom, and Marinette braces herself for the worst.

5\. offbeat

During their next few patrols, not once does Chat Noir try to flirt with her, to crack a joke, to make her smile.

It’s unlike him.

6\. desperate 

As she stares into Alya’s guarded, menacing eyes, Marinette realizes she is losing: losing her best friend, losing the trust of her classmates, losing to Lila. 

She has to do whatever she possibly can to fix this.

7\. queen

The entire class stands behind Lila and watches as Marinette gathers her items and leaves the classroom in a rush, furiously biting her lip to keep the tears from spilling over her eyelids. 

They all denounce her, expressing their disbelief of how she could be so critical of someone with several disabilities. They place her judgment of Lila’s character on jealousy as though there is no merit to her opinion at all. They call her names, harsh names that dig into her very being and uproot all of the good things she’s ever done.

And so Marinette flees, leaving Lila to rule over her band of brainwashed backstabbers. 

8\. vanish 

_My Lady,_

_For the time being, I can no longer perform my duties as Chat Noir. I have spoken to Master Fu about my situation, and he believes it best that I keep the Cat Miraculous with me. I do not know when or if I will be able to return to Paris, but I trust that the city will be safe in your hands now that Hawk Moth is gone. I’m sorry that you have to learn all of this through a letter, but saying it to your face would make it all the more painful. No matter how far we are from each other, no matter how much time passes, know that I will always love you._

_Yours Always,_

_“Kitty”_

9\. hands

Her mother gently strokes her palms with the pads of her fingers, a soothing action that takes Marinette back to the much simpler times of her childhood. When Marinette has calmed and stopped crying, she spills everything to her mom: everything about Adrien leaving, about Lila, about the class turning against her, about her losing all of her friends, and— against her better judgment and Tikki’s wishes— even confesses to her mom about being Ladybug, about the weight on her shoulders over Hawk Moth’s accident, and about Chat Noir’s sudden departure. 

Her mom listens intently, not interrupting to give advice, but instead providing comfort through the warmth of her fingertips.

10\. switch

“I’m heartbroken to see you go, Marinette, but if it will make you happy, then I fully support your decision,” Madame Bustier says as she hands Marinette the documents needed to transfer schools.

11\. hush 

Patrols are much quieter when there is no partner to keep you laughing.

12\. longing

Marinette laughs one night as she is crying herself to sleep because, for some odd reason, she finds herself thinking about and missing Chat Noir an infinite amount more than she does Adrien, who for the past year and a half she swore was her true love. 

She realizes the saying is true: you don’t realize how much you love someone until they are gone.

13\. last

With the papers signed and the transfer approved, Marinette’s parents drive away from Collége Francoise Dupont, and she watches with a sense of finality as the school grows smaller in the rearview mirror.

14\. hollow

She grins for the cameras and tells the interviewers what they want to hear, but it’s all empty smiles and empty words. 

After all, how can anything she does be whole and genuine when a major part of her is missing?

15\. time

“It may take what feels like an eternity, my dear,” her mother tells her on a day where his absence hits her particularly hard, “but, one day, you will move on, and your memories of him will no longer be tainted with sadness.”

Marinette doubts it.

16\. simple 

Her new routine is nothing special: wake up, get ready, take the metro to school, get through the day while speaking to a few acquaintances, go home, do homework, patrol Paris, then finally, go to bed. 

It’s a balanced schedule for a growing teenager, and Marinette should be grateful, but she can’t help but wish things were the way they used to be.

17\. fortunate 

“Just don’t get anything wet, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloe snarls as she holds the door open for Marinette, inviting her into her home and out of the rain, leaving the bluenette in shock and awe.

18\. echo 

She has mostly moved on by the time she enters high school, but she is convinced that if she stays still and quiet enough during patrols, she can hear his laughter bouncing off the walls of buildings and flooding the night sky with joy.

19\. scars

One day, while searching for fabrics, she finds a box filled with pictures of her with Alya, Nino, and all of their old classmates.

Something pulls at her heart, and she slams the lid back on and shoves it under her bed.

20\. support

After several exchanges of text messages and a few visits to the bakery from an unexpected individual, Marinette finds herself in the presence of Chloe Bourgeois more often than she ever believed she would.

21\. different

“Things sure have changed a lot, haven’t they?” Tom wonders one day after Chloe, his daughter’s only true friend, leaves the bakery.

“Yes,” Sabine replies as she gazes at her daughter, who is still giggling to herself about something the blonde had said before she left, “and for the better.”

22\. denial

“I don’t think you’re as bad of a person as you try to let on, Chloe,” Marinette huffs as she places the box of expensive fabrics the blonde bought for her on her desk. “You’ve really helped me get over everything that has happened, and you really are the only person I can call a friend.”

“Don’t make me laugh, Dupain-Cheng,” she scoffs, attempting to hide the grin pulling at the edges of her lips. “I’m the worst person you’ve ever met.”

23\. dream

At long last, he’s there, gently looking down at her with green eyes, and she embraces him, burying her face in the leather of his suit. She starts to cry, as it’s been forever since she’s last seen him. 

And then she wakes up.

24\. bloom

It is an average Saturday afternoon, and Marinette goes out onto her balcony balancing five hot chocolates and a plate of pastries on a tray. She passes one cup of cocoa out to Chloe, one out to each of her three friends from her school, and sets one down in front of her own seat. She watches, amused, as they all argue over some silly topic that will be irrelevant in a week’s time. 

As she sits there, surrounded by her friends, she feels as though for the first time in a long time, she is untroubled.

25\. freedom

“How does it feel, Marinette?” Lila asks snidely one Sunday morning as she takes her order of macarons from the bluenette. “How does it feel knowing that I won?”

Marinette just smiles because, truly, she feels nothing at all.

“It feels amazing knowing that people who were never loyal to me from the beginning were removed from my life,” Marinette responds with grace, sliding the macaron box into the stunned brunette’s hands.

“Thank you, Lila, for helping me see the true colors of the people I once considered my friends. I hope you enjoy your macarons and the rest of your day.”

26\. run

Marinette is out shopping for materials for a graduation dress with Chloe when she spots him, his neat blonde hair, his soft green eyes, and his face fit for a model. 

“Adrien?” She calls out in disbelief. “Adrien Agreste?”

He looks up at her, and as their eyes meet, a blinding grin splits across his face. 

“Marinette,” he breathes, confirming that she is not hallucinating, “it’s so good to see you again.”

She drops all of the bags in her hands and rushes toward him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

27\. familiar

As she patrols that night, she can’t help but think about the time she spent with Chloe and Adrien earlier that day. The three had spoken about everything and nothing; it didn’t matter, because they were all just overjoyed at being in each other’s presence again. While reflecting, she concludes that there may still be some underlying feelings toward the blonde boy, but she decides that, for the time being at least, it would be best to leave them untouched. 

She is suddenly pulled from her thoughts, however, when a silhouette drops onto the roof across from her, the moonlight hiding the features of their face and body. 

What she can distinctly make out, though, are the cat ears atop the person’s head.

28\. real

The moment his glowing green eyes come into view, her knees buckle beneath her and the floodgates open, years of unshed tears flowing down her cheeks and dripping onto the rooftop she kneels on. Her sobs become more violent as he gathers her in his arms, holding her so closely, so tightly, with no intention of letting her go. 

“Kitty,” she gasps through her sobs, “it’s you.”

“It’s me, my lady.”

In that moment, there is no illusion, no fantasy, no daydream. There is only Chat.

29\. soft

Adrien’s hair is plush between her fingers as she runs them through his hair, listening to everything he has to say about London, Félix, and anything else on his mind. He doesn’t bring up Gabriel, and Marinette doesn’t push him to. Their conversation only lulls when Plagg loudly announces that he is starving, to which Marinette giggles and Adrien rolls his eyes in annoyance. Hand in hand, the two head toward the bakery to fetch macarons and camembert for their respective kwami. 

30\. purify

“Thank you,” Adrien murmurs in a voice just above a whisper, “for taking me here. I couldn’t have done this by myself.”

“Of course,” Marinette hums back, “I’m always here for you.”

Adrien gently places a bouquet of roses in front of his father’s headstone, swiping at the tears that leak out of his eyes. For a moment, he just sits and stares, and Marinette notices that, for a change, his expression is not one of turmoil, disbelief, or hurt, but one of understanding, contentment, and love. 

Just then, a white butterfly perched on top of the headstone spreads its wings and flutters away, reaching the sky where it can finally be free. 

“Bye bye, little butterfly,” Marinette whispers to herself as she watches it go. Adrien then rises and links his arm through hers, and the two walk into the night together.

At long last, there is peace.


End file.
